Flattened curve? Expect 'fluctuating plateau,' Kansas data researcher says

A team of researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center now have about two months of data to track daily trends in the Kansas City area and across the state of Kansas for COVID-19.

METRIC THAT PROVIDES A BETTERLOOK AT ACCESS TO TESTING.>> FOR THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS,WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TESTINGPOSITIVITY RATE, HOW MANY TESTSARE GETTING DONE VERSUS HOW MANYARE COMING BACK POSITIVE.WIGGLE THE POSITIVITY GRAPHICTOWARD THE LEFTIF YOU LOOK AT A GRAPH OF KANSASFOR INSTANCE FROM THE COVIDTRACKING PROJECT GO ALONG TOSHOW THE RISE ON THE GRAPH.IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THERISING NUMBERS OF POSITIVITYRATE, WE SAW EARLY ARE BECAUSETESTING WAS MOST LIKELYHAPPENING ONLY PEOPLE WITHSYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.>> THE TESTING REALLY MATTERSAND WHEN YOU TEST ONLY CERTAINPEOPLE, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOINGTO GET.>> THAT’S WHY DOCTORS AT THEUNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITALARE STARTING TO TEST MORE PEOPLEWITHOUT SYMPTOMS AS THEY COME INFOR PROCEDURES.THEY SAY THAT’S STARTING TO PUSHPOSITIVITY RATE DOWN ESPECIALLYIN JOHNSON AND WYANDOTTECOUNTIES.BACK TO THE STATEWIDE GRAPHICTHE RISING BARS IN THE PASTCOUPLE WEEKS, SHOW A RISE INTEST, THAT MEANS WE’RE GETTINGCLOSER TO AN ACCURATE RATE.KANSAS’S POSITIVITY RATE RIGHTNOW IS JUST UNDER 10%.BUT DOCTORS WANT TO TEST MOREBECAUSE THEY STILL DON’T THINKIT SHOWS THE TRUE PICTURE OF HOWMANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVECOVID-19.>> HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INFECTED?THIS IS YOUR POPULATION HEALTHQUESTION FOR THE DAY.>> WELL, IF YOU FLIP IT AROUND,I’D TALK ABOUT HOW MANY ARESTILL SUSCEPTIBLE, SO, MYCONSCIENCE IT’S ABOVE 95%, IT’SPROBABLY CLOSER TO 98% WHO ARESTILL SUSCEPTIBLE IN OUR AREA.>> AS TIME GOES ON THATPOSITIVITY RATE IS ONLY GOING TOGET MORE ACCURATE.DOCTORS HERE ENCOURAGING MORETESTING TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW HOWMUCH COVID-19 IS SPREADI